Females are always looked for a role that involves more multitasking and nurturing rather than authoritative and decision making posts. But Dr Ruveda Salam from the Kupwara, Kashmir made history in 2013 by becoming the first woman to qualify from Kashmir in the Union Public Service Commission examination. This brings forward another story of determination and will power from the militant-hit state.
You will be surprised to know that prior qualifying for the UPSC; she has also completed her MBBS from the Government Medical College, Srinagar. At present she is working in Chennai as an Assistant Commissioner of Police. She appeared for the UPSC examination again in 2015 and passed with good rank. The improved ranks mean now she is looking to fulfill her wish to become an IAS officer (dream of her father) and serve her motherland even better.
Her will, determination and dedication are clear when she passed the State Administrative Service examination of Kashmir while managing stiff study schedules of her MBBS degree. As her aim was to become an IAS officer, she never looked for a post graduate degree in Medicine, instead prepared herself for UPSC. After improving the rank, now she is aspiring to restart her career as a sub collector.
However, she is not neglecting her current job as an ACP in Chennai where she starts her day at 7 in the morning and works hard often till midnight. She used to have three rounds at night per week, monitor traffic and attend weekly as well as monthly meetings regularly. Moreover, she used to receive public petitions, especially from women.
It’s a strenuous job, but for Ruveda, duty comes first and she has already shown in her life that she will not shy away from hard work.
She received another prestigious honour last year when she was selected as one of the five young cadres from India to present a paper at the Youth-20 summit during the G-20 Nations meet in Sydney. Now she also gives regular motivational speeches to the younger generation, particularly for the girls from Jammu and Kashmir, encouraging them to appear for the UPSC examination.
Some people in various parts of India have a perception of her being anti-Indian due to her status of a Kashmiri girl that she thinks can be changed through her attitude. Many even think that Kashmiri girls cannot compete at national level. Ruveda wants to change this perception by showing her mettle. The heartening fact is that she admitted of being received with affection by most of the people throughout the country. We need more young and vibrant Indians from every corner and society of this country to achieve sustainable growth and worldwide success as a country.
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